Racist Fashion Photo Of Black Woman ‘Chair’ Goes Viral

A European website has come under fire for a photo shoot that many have taken to be racist. Dasha Zhukova, the partner of a British soccer club owner Roman Abramovich, was photographed sitting on a chair made from the half-naked mannequin of a black woman. The topless mannequin has its legs in the air as Zhukova sits on a cushion above its thigh area. People were especially outraged at the racist photos as they were released to the public on Martin Luther King Day

The photos were for an interview was fashion website called Buro 24/7. After the photos sparked accusations of racism, the website removed the original images and replaced it with a cropped version where only the legs were visible. The editor of the website, Miroslava Duma, later issued an apology via Instagram.

“We are against racism or gender inequality or anything that infringes upon anyone’s rights. We love, respect and look up to people regardless of their race, gender or social status,” said Duma. “This photograph, which has been published completely out of context, is of an artwork intended specifically as a commentary on gender and racial politics. I utterly abhor racism, and would like to apologise to anyone who has been offended by this image.” Duma also removed the photo from her own Instagram account.

FashionBombDaily.com editor Claire Sulmers also expressed her anger at the photo, writing that the photo showed “white dominance and superiority, articulated in a seemingly serene yet overtly degrading way. The art and fashion industries are the few bastions of society where blatant racism and ignorance are given the greenlight in the name of creativity.